As many as 325 Russian tourists with COVID-19 vaccine passports arrived at Cam Ranh International Airport in Khanh Hoa Province, Vietnam on Sunday to enjoy a package tour run by tour operator Anex Vietnam Travel and Trading Company.

The Azur Air flight carrying the 325 passengers departed from Vnukovo in Moscow, Russia, and touched down at the airport on Sunday morning.

The arrivals, who were welcomed with bouquets of flowers and traditional Vietnamese conical hats, marked the first group of Russian visitors to Khanh Hoa after nearly two years of travel disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Nguyen Ngoc Luong, sales manager of Anex Vietnam.

Semennikova Viktoria, one member of the tourist group who was on her second trip to Vietnam, could not hide her excitement and expectation for more flights connecting Vietnam and Russia to be resumed soon.

During their stay in Khanh Hoa, the Russian tourists will be able to visit and experience many famous tourist sites and attractions such as VinWonders Nha Trang Amusement Park, Ana Marina Nha Trang, a sea tour on Nha Trang Bay, Hoa Lan Island, Yang Bay Waterfall, a Nha Trang City tour, shopping and dining at sites that have been approved for the reception of international tourists.

It is expected that Azur Air and Anex Vietnam will conduct 26 more flights bringing over 8,000 Russian tourists from Moscow to Nha Trang between December 26 and the end of March, with a frequency of two flights a week and each flight carrying 320 to 340 passengers.

Director of the Khanh Hoa Department of Tourism Nguyen Thi Le Thanh considered the welcoming of the Russian tourists as a driving force for the local tourism sector, helping affirm the province and its beach city, Nha Trang, as a safe, quality and attractive destination.

About 57 more flights carrying around 11,000 holidaymakers from various countries are set to arrive in Khanh Hoa later this month in a similar fashion, she added.

After more than one-month implementation of the pilot program to receive vaccine passport holders in the first phase of a national three-stage plan, Khanh Hoa has welcomed nearly 3,000 tourists from South Korea, Japan, and Malaysia, according to VGP News.

Khanh Hoa tourism has been hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic for the second consecutive year. 

In 2021, the province served about 643,000 visitors, including nearly 23,000 foreigners, posting a year-on-year drop of 48.55 percent and 94.81 percent, VGP News reported.  

Besides Khanh Hoa, central Quang Nam Province and southern Kien Giang Province’s Phu Quoc Island have also received international tourists coming via the vaccine passport program.

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